Rapid-fire, always passionate and blunt when he needs to be, actor Josh Brolin has been a key figure in conveying the insanity encompassing the set of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Inherent Vice,” calling the film in its lead up to release “absolutely fucking chaos” akin to Cirque du Soleil. Well, the wait is over: after seeing Anderson’s latest effort and hearing from the “No Country For Old Men” star during a recent L.A. press day, it appears what ended up onscreen is a subdued version of what transpired on set. Nevertheless, Brolin, who will appear next in The Coen Brothers’ “Hail Caesar!” and “Everest,” still took us through his wild experience on Anderson’s vivid detective drama/fever dream.
Playing Christian “Bigfoot” Bjornsen, an LAPD lieutenant with a flattop and SAG card whom the actor describes as “an era and three quarters behind” the times, Brolin first described his relationship to Thomas Pynchon and how the novelist’s work melded with Anderson’s California mindset....